All Editorial articles – Page 50
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NewsTime to act and not react: how can the European Union turn the tide of antimicrobial resistance?
Despite determined efforts by countries and healthcare professionals, Europe is not on track to meet four of the five AMR targets set by the EU Council for 2030*, according to data released on EAAD.
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NewsApriori Bio and A*STAR Infectious Diseases Labs Announce strategic partnership to advance next generation influenza vaccines
Apriori Bio and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research Infectious Diseases Labs (A*STAR IDL) announced a strategic research partnership to co-develop and evaluate next generation self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) vaccines targeting seasonal and pandemic influenza.
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NewsMedications change our gut microbiome in predictable ways
A study shows that many of the changes to the gut microbiome are driven by competition for nutrients – medications reduce certain bacterial populations and change the availability of nutrients, and the bacteria most able to capitalize on those changes are the ones to survive.
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NewsWastewater from most countries favours non-resistant bacteria
Municipal wastewater contains a large range of excreted antibiotics and has therefore long been suspected to be a spawning ground for antibiotic-resistant bacteria. By testing the potential of untreated municipal wastewater from 47 countries to select for resistant E. coli, researchers show that while some samples indeed do so, most instead suppress them.
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NewsHepatitis E virus from rats can also infect humans in individual cases – a new zoonotic pathogen?
It has only been known for a few years that humans can also be infected with a variant of the hepatitis E virus that is usually prevalent in rats. Following reports of individual cases, mainly from Hong Kong and Spain, the first infection with ratHEV has now also been described in a patient from Germany.
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NewsPig disease vaccine effectiveness linked to T cell response
A new study shows that the effectiveness of current vaccines against porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is due to the response of T cells against the disease, rather than the production of antibodies. The work is an important step in identifying specific targets for vaccines on a rapidly mutating virus.
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NewsSugar transporter discovery offers promising avenue for improving antibiotic efficacy
Scientists have recently demonstrated that aminoglycosides enter bacteria by using sugar transporters. They have also successfully doubled the number of transporters, even in the most resistant Escherichia coli strains, thus improving antibiotics’ penetration rate and efficacy.
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NewsEmerging pollutants threaten efficiency of wastewater treatment: New review highlights urgent research needs
A new scientific review has shed light on how emerging pollutants commonly found in wastewater are disrupting biological phosphorus removal processes, posing risks to water quality and ecological health. The study examines how pharmaceuticals, microplastics, and industrial chemicals interfere with the key microorganisms responsible for phosphorus removal in wastewater treatment plants.
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NewsA new gateway to global antimicrobial resistance data
To support global AMR research, EMBL’s European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) has launched the AMR portal, a central hub that connects bacterial genomes, resistance phenotypes, and functional annotations, all in one place. The AMR portal ensures long-term availability, standardisation, and reusability of AMR data.
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NewsSingle-celled organisms found to have a more complex DNA epigenetic code than multicellular life
Researchers discovered that in more ‘primitive’ unicellular organisms, both the adenine and the cytosine bases are methylated. This would suggest that in some ways, these unicellular organisms are more complex than their multicellular peers.
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NewsMicrobial teamwork slashes uranium pollution in just 48 hours
A research team has developed a synthetic microbial consortium that completely reduces soluble uranium [U(VI)] to insoluble U(IV) within 48 hours, showing nearly twice the efficiency of a single-strain system. The study reveals how Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa LXZ1 cooperate to accelerate extracellular electron transfer (EET).
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NewsThe leading causes of mass mortality events in sea urchins are pathogens, storms, and extreme temperatures
Researchers have identified the primary drivers of sea urchin mass mortality events over recent decades: pathogens, storms, and extreme temperatures. The team have developed an innovative method for genetic sampling in marine environments - using a swab similar to a COVID-19 test, to enable rapid and non-invasive monitoring of marine animals and underwater disease outbreaks.
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NewsAMI warns that the threat of antimicrobial resistance in viruses and other pathogens cannot be underestimated
Applied Microbiology International (AMI) has urged global policymakers to strengthen the revised Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (GAP-AMR), calling for a more inclusive, clear and equitable approach to tackling one of the world’s most urgent health challenges.
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CareersSummer studentship: Megan investigates the mobile gene element that gives MRSA its clout
Megan Stenton reports back on her AMI-sponsored summer studentship which investigated the frequency of the SCCmec gene - a mobile gene element that houses the methicillin resistance gene - across members of the same species of Staphylococcus aureus.
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OpinionPride in Microbiology Network: the road so far
Bruno Francesco Rodrigues de Oliveira, a founding member of the Pride in Microbiology Network, reveals how it has developed since it was launched three years ago - and what needs to happen next.
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NewsAncient chemical clues reveal Earth’s earliest life 3.3 billion years ago
A new study uncovered fresh chemical evidence of life in rocks more than 3.3 billion years old, along with molecular traces showing that oxygen-producing photosynthesis emerged nearly a billion years earlier than previously thought. Researchers paired cutting-edge chemistry with artificial intelligence to reveal faint chemical “whispers” of biology locked inside ancient rocks.
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NewsTraces of bacteria inside brain tumors may affect tumor behavior
Scientists have uncovered unexpected traces of bacteria within brain tumors. This discovery offers new insights into the environment in which brain tumors grow and sets the stage for future studies seeking to improve treatment outcomes.
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NewsResearchers identify mangrove tree stems as previously underestimated methane source offsetting blue carbon benefits
A new study reveals that mangrove tree stems represent a significant yet previously underestimated source of methane. Additionally, stem emissions showed a strong correlation with soil methane fluxes, indicating that methane produced by anaerobic microbial activity in mangrove soils is transported upward through specialized aerenchyma tissues within the trees.
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NewsNext-generation microbiome medicine may revolutionize the treatment of Parkinson’s and similar disorders
Scientists have engineered the probiotic bacterium Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 as a drug-delivery system that continuously produces and delivers the gold-standard Parkinson’s drug Levodopa, which is converted to dopamine in the brain. E. coli Nissle strain was chosen for its century-long record of safely treating gastrointestinal disorders in humans.
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NewsStudy in Europe: monoclonal antibodies effectively prevent respiratory syncytial virus in infants
Data from Belgium, Portugal and Spain show that immunisation of children after birth reduced the risk of hospitalization due to RSV infection by almost 80%.